Snow guard



June 21, 1932. R. J. BRiNKER ET AL SNOW GUARD Filed Nov. 5, 1929 Patented June 21, 1932 AND CASER J. BRINKM, OE

SNOW GUARD Application filed. November 5, 1929.

lhis invention relates to improvements in snow guards for shingle roofs. Guards of this character are commonly applied to steep or sloping roofs to prevent snow in avalanche proportions from sliding oil, thus preventing the likelihood of injury to pedestrians.

number of devices of this character have been devised, but so far as we are aware, they have structural characteristics that make their use objectionable in that their installation is more or less difficult, and when lamaged from any cause whatever, require that the shingles adjacent the particular guard or guards, be removed, in order to replace the dama ed uard. Furthermore the uard is b D 7 b so constructed that both the guard and the securing bar, or bar by which the guard is held on the roof, must be applied at the same time.

Our contribution to this art is the provision of a guard constructed in such a way that the bars may be put on individually, and the guard proper thereafter applied, thus making it possible and convenient for a workman, or workmen, to lay a number of courses of shingles, with the securing bar properly secured to the wooden part of the roof in proper relation to the shingles, and in such position that the guards thereafter applied, will occupy their proper roof positions.

With the above intimated objects in view, we have devised a peculiarly shaped bar constructed in the main, of a head that receives and holds the guard and a shank provided with off-sets with relation to the head, so that.

the upper end of the bar may be nailed or otherwise secured, securely to the wood of the roof, and when so secured, the head will occupy a position in which the uard may be readily slid on to the head, and brought to proper position astride of every two shingles in a course, the guard being so constructed as to give a broad bearing surface on the shingles.

In the drawing illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a plan View of a series of shingles with a guard attached showing the arrangement of the shingles, there being also Shown a securing bar with the guard omitted.

Serial ll'o. 405,036.

Figure 2 is a dissembled view of the guard and securing bar.

Figure 3 is a central section through the guard, roof and shingles, the bar being in elevation.

Figure 4: is a transverse section of the guard, bar, roof and shingles, taken on line 44 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the securing bar and 2 the guard. The bar is formed with a head 8 of slightly greater thickness at its outer end 4t than at its inner end 5. The outer end 4 is also of greater width at the portion indicated by a than at the part marked 5. The side edges 6 of the head are bevelled from the bottom up wardly, for the purpose of forming a dovetail connection with the guard, as will presently appear. The mid portion of the bar indicated by the numeral 7 is dropped below the upper surface of the head 3, to a degree about equal to the thickness of a shingle, the drop being effect-ed at the point 0 to bring about this variance in horizontal plane. N ear the inner end of the bar it is again bent, as indicated at so that the upper surface of the inner end 8 of the bar will be below the mid portion '2', the degree of drop being again, approximately, the thickness of a shingle, so that it will be ob- Vious that the upper surface of the inner end of the bar is lower than the upper surface of both the mid portion and the outer end of said bar, by approximately the thickness of two shingles.

These structural characteristics of the bar enable its inner end to be nailed, or otherwise secured, to the sheathing or wood of the roof, there being provided a number of nail or screw holes 9, for the purpose, with a gradual ascension of the bar from its inner to its outer end, which, as will be seen, greatly facilitates the attachment of the guard.

The guard 2 is formed with a wide horizontal baselO and a central hollow boss 11 having upwardly and outwardly bevelled side walls 12, for engagement with the bevelled side edges 6 of the bar, to form a dove tail joint when the two elements are assembled in operative position. Integral with the base is an upwardly and rearwardly inclined plate 13, which may be of suitable shape or size and adapted to dam the snow or ice on the roof, the guards being thoroughly effective for this purpose when a proper number of them are used in properly spaced relation to each other.

The entrance end of the groove which is formed in the boss 11, is wider and deeper than the rear end of said groove, so that when the guard is slid on to the head of" the bar from the rear end of said head, the bevelled portion of the bar and guard will fit snugly, and limit the downward movement of the guard. Obviously, with the arrangement shown, a number of bars may be first secured to the roof, with their heads proj ecting above the lower edge of two shingles of a shingle course in position to thereafter receive the guards. Obviously, as stated at the outset, should a guard be damaged it will only be necessary to remove the damaged portion by driving it backward toward the inner end of the bar, until the engagement. between. the

bevelled portions of the guard and bar is broken, when a new guard may be readily put in place by sliding it downwardly from the head 3 and be just as eifective as the ori inal, without removing the bar, thereby ma ing it unnecessary to tear up any of-theshingles.

Referring particularly, to Figure 1, the nu merals 15, 16 and 17 indicate respectively, three courses of shingles, which are laid upon the wood of the roof or sheathing 18, the shingles being, as shown, provided with perforations or holes 19 for nailing. In'accordance with the method we employ in applying the guard, each alternate shingle is out or broken away as indicated at 20, providing a recess 21 through the" upper portion of which the roof or'sheathing is exposed, as indicated at 22, and to which the endportion 8 of the bar is nailed. With this arrangement, the intermediate portion of said bar will rest upon a shingle of the first course and fill in the space between the two shingles, as indicated at 23. Obviously when the bar is nailed its head 3 will overlap the portion indicated by the numeral 24 in the second course 16 of the shingles and will appear as shown in the central portion of the figure, wherein the bar is shown before the guard is applied.

What we claim is:

1. A snow guard for roofs, including arses curing'bar formed of a strip of suitable material having outer, intermediate and inner end portions in different horizontal planes,

" steppedupwardly from the inner end of said strip to theouter end thereof, the outer end terminating in a head adapted, when the device is in place, to lie and be exposed upon the upper surface ofthe lower portion of a shingle course, and a guard'slidable longitudinally of said head and applicable thereto and removable therefrom, without disturbing the roof elements, and means for limiting the downward movement of said guard.

2. A snow guard for roofs, comprising a securing bar formed of a strip of suitable material having outer, intermediate and inner end portions in different horizontal planes stepped upwardly from. the inner end of said strip to the outer end thereof, the outer end of the strip terminating in a head provided with inclined or bevelled side edges, said edges tapering outwardly from the point of juncture between the head and the intermediate portion, the head being adapted when the device is in place to lie and be eX- posed' upon the upper surface of the lower portion of a shingle course, a guard having a dove-tail groove therein adapted to cooper ate with the bevelled portions of the head, whereby thesliding movement of the uard on the head is limited in a horizontal direction towardthe outer end of the strip, said guard being applicable to the head and. removable therefrom without disturbing the roof elements,

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

RICHARD J. BRINKER. CASPER J. BRINKER'. 

